So happy Anslow is doing better Margo!

Hello, All!

Sorry to be MIA - this flu or whatever it is, keeps coming and going - a real bummer!

Katie, your envie is on it's way,, sorry to be late with it. Hope you will enjoy the seeds! And I hope I put enough postage on them!

I received yours yesterday - Thank you, Thank you!

Katie sent: a really pretty V-Day card, did you make this?

Also: Veronia seeds, had to look that one up, they looks like the Stokes Asters;

Calendula Fiesta, I grow Calendula every year, this is a new one for me; and,

Stokes Aster Peachie's Pick, can't wait to see this one, and how did I know these would all be natives, except the Calendula, of course!

Thank you, Katie, these are much appreciated!

Shirley!

(There are a lot of exclamation points coming up, I wish there was another way to show excitement but exclamation points it is.)

Back in town and I've got seeds!

Thank you Erica for the Valentine Beans! The only beans I've grown are runners so I'm excited to try these, and they have the perfect name!

I got my seeds from Brooke too:

Sweet Ozark Orange Tomato - love tomatoes!

Lettuce Leaf Basil - this was on my wishlist so I'm very happy to finally have some!

Brighton Rock Snapdragon - these are probably the most fun flowers I've ever seen! I had no idea snapdragons could look like that. My goal this year is to grow more flowers and I just bought Black Prince snapdragon seeds so these will fit right in :D

They came in a cute drawstring heart bag with some mineral bath salts. This is so funny because I've been soaking my feet every night before bed so I will definitely use these! And I love the sparkly card, so me! Thanks Brooke you really hit it out of the park I'm sure your favorites will become mine too!

Your seeds are in the mail, sorry I forgot about Monday holiday so they were even more delayed. I threw a couple extras in there to try and make up for it!

So happy to hear Anslow is recovering!

We dropped to freezing on Saturday night and have been seeing random snow flurries since then, I hope my snow peas I planted live up to their name! Spring was here just last week I wonder what scared her off...

Shirley -- One of the ladies from one of the gardening groups I'm in on FB is interested in joining the group. Keep an eye out for a message from her -- Kristan Suniga.

Will do, Erica, been asleep for a while, just got up to do more meds, will check it out - thanks for the heads up!

Erica, Thank you for hosting a super swap! Have a great day!

Great news about Anslow. So happy for all of you.

Yesterday morning I had a pretty large part of my tooth break off (front one) and it get very strange after that. For some reason, the phone wasn't working at the dental office. They have two offices so I called the other one and that receptionist was texting the one at the office in Lexington and once they had phone service and computer access, etc. they got me. I'm all repaired, thankfully.

Recent Favorites:

Agapanthus 'Baby Pete'

Marketmore 76 Cucumbers

Rose - "Jeanne Lajoie'

Moonflower

I also had some tomatoes I was really pleased with: Florida 91 (which I bought as plants from a big box store --- haven't seen anyone with those seeds listed. Hope I can find them again. I'll watch for them at the garden centers), Tip Top, Lemon Tree, Chocolate Sprinkles, and Indigo Blue Berries Cherry. These were all far more productive than what I usually get during our difficult hot and dry summers.

I love reading what others had success with!

Jeanne

Jeanne -- I'm familiar with some of the edibles you mentioned. I've grown Marketmore 76 and Indigo Blue Berries. They both did really well for me. I had to look up your rose. It looks like a beauty!

I think this is everyone who has received already. If I've missed someone, let me know.

EricaBraun -- Received

sjc48 (Shirley) -- Received

amybabyboy3 (Amy) -- Received

smitties (Margo) -- Received

faerygardener (Maggie) -- Received

Melinda Hagen -- Received

jdmom78 (Urooj) -- Received

nottougly (Faye) -- Received

Kaylee -- Received

l1oness (Mandy) -- Received

kchd (Katie)

dragonfly20210 (Brooke)

I haven't had a chance to swing by the PO to pick up mail for a few days, hope to get there tomorrow.

Margo, that's wonderful news!

Funny, with favorites, I was thinking summer. For early spring by far it's daffodils - so cheery and they do well here. My fave is the Poeticus (posted in another thread. Another I truly enjoy are the tiny Tete a tete, about 6 inches tall. They're blooming now. The Paperwhites went first in Dec & Jan, also have Ice follies blooming now.

Then for mid-Spring, I'm crazy about columbine. My faves are the long spur yellow and I had a tall long spurred white.

Gave it to a school garden when my well failed a few years back and have been wanting it since. Kept searching the seed companies - it's how I ended up at Jelitto and ordering from them ($25 minimum order and $7 shipping plus handling) all for the one columbine (but it turned out they had a few items on my Annies Annuals wishlist, so finding them was a boon). It won't bloom this year here, will have to nurse it over the summer. https://www.jelitto.com/Seed/Perennials/AQUILEGIA+Caerulea-Hybr+Kristall+Portion+s.html?listtype=search&searchparam=columbine. It may not be quite it - looks like their pic of Alaska but that was almost $20 (with exchange) for a pack of hybrid seed (I stuck to $2 or $3 per pack items).

My fave cucumber is Summer Dance, I had some get a tad bitter here but that never does. Fave Tomatoes are Peach Wapsipinicon (a cluster yellow, mild), Eva Purple Ball (midsize pink), and a cherry Sweet 100 (large red cherry). The big ones always split here so I go midsize and cherry. I have high hopes for Peacevine this year - it's an open pollinated selected from Sweet 100 grown seed and supposed to be almost identical in fruit size and growth habit. Added benefit that it has "a uniquely high level of gamma-amino butyric acid, a body sedative that calms jitters" (well see ;-) ).

Maggie -- Another great post! Thank you for sharing.

I just discovered Jelitto a few days ago. The min order price is now $31.10, but they really do have some nice things. One of these days I'll probably go for it.

Maggie, I love your yellow Columbine. It is so bright and cheerful!

Yes Erica - looks like that's the exchange rate (should have said $25 euro). I also sometimes get embroidery designs from a German site using euros - the exchange rate varies - a few years back it was great (for us). I got 11 packets of seed for $39.00 so about $3.45 each packet.. I should keep wishlists for anyone I order from in euros and watch exchange rates. If anyone here catches U.S. getting better in the deal - alert us! Looked up USD to Euro history and looks like today is at the 2 year all time low (~0.80USD to 1 Euro), highest about 0.96.

My Territorial order last year was the most per packet - $4.00 average after shipping for 8 packets - a bummer as the ONE thing that sent me there was the Naked Bear pumpkin and although the hull-less pepitos were fantastic, I was disappointed with it as an eating pumpkin. Everything else on that order I could have picked up somewhere else. Jelitto seed is germinating really well and they give good size packets. Unlike Parks where some packets are 20 tiny seed, Stokes also turned out to be stingy in the seed amounts.

Thanks Amy! I propagate more of them every year just to make sure I always have something that survives the voles, gophers and whatnot.

Maggie -- I think pretty much all the seeds on Jelitto's site say something like "one pack is enough for 50 plants." Do you think you got at least 50 seeds per pack?

Easy (at least 50 seeds per pack). I hope to get 2 or 3 years from them (might have another drought and I won't be able to keep this set alive, on wait and see). For a bit I was worried about the columbines (got 3) as with all that warm weather didn't know if they'd have enough cold chill - of course, this morning everything is covered in ice here and I just have too many pots to have tried to protect them all. Now the concern is on the things that started to grow too early and are frozen. With Park's and Stokes it was plant the whole packet (and some of those with 20 - 25 seeds seem to not even fill a jug).

Maggie -- Thanks so much for the extra info. I really am going to have to give them a try. They don't really carry edibles, but they have a lot of medicinal herbs that really caught my eye... Also, the Green Twister Echinaceae, which is what first brought me there. :P

Well, I was able to get a shot.. Here's Nepeta racemosa (that I took on Feb 8th, before this cold spell - a neighbor in town said her morning temp reading was 18°! Even my hummingbird feeders were frozen solid - usually the sugar solution doesn't freeze as easily as say plain water in a birdbath).

Almost 25 little plants so far.

And here's what I haven't planted yet in the seed packet after that batch was taken out - easily enough for 2 more years worth of full jugs. For reference, the 25 seed (same size) in a packet from Park's barely made a dent on the tip of my pinkie. Side note: racemosa is supposed to spread, for me that's a good thing with all the critters I battle).

Swallowtail buys their seeds and breaks down the packets - you can see their watermark on many of her photos: https://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com/perennials/columbine.html.

Folks not from the SF Bay Area don't know that Annies Annuals has almost a cult following among gardeners. Two of the verbascum I'd put on my wishlist there are available from Jelitto. https://www.anniesannuals.com/plants/view/?id=4524 and https://www.anniesannuals.com/plants/view/?id=1099 and I'm trying this cute Dianthus https://www.anniesannuals.com/plants/view/?id=1362 (usually I avoid chatting about what I'm planting that's new as not everything makes it to flowering here). If/when I get flowers from these, I'll be sharing the seed - just could be a long shot :-) .

Chatting up a storm as did too much hefty work on the property Tuesday (still sore!) and it's too dang cold to do much anywhere other than the computer.

Maggie, Both the verbascum and dianthus are really pretty! Hope they do well!

Thank you Mandy!! We both did cards plus postcards :-) So cute, plus some fun stickers and a fantastic selection of seed. I've already put the sweet pea to soak for 24 hours, the filet beans and charentais melon look fantastic and I'll have to try to find room for that Grappoli Corbarinio tomato. It looks a lot like Umberto that is prolific for me and does well despite heat and other issues except the Grappoli is a tad larger. I bet it will do well here too. Thanks!

Maggie -- Oh my goodness! I'm absolutely in love with that Wedding Candles Verbascum. How stunning!

Your little enabler here, so Park's (who does have teeny packets of seed) just sent the free shipping any order email (code freeship).

ERICA - they have that Green Twister (and it's not $8 like Jelitto). https://parkseed.com/green-twister-coneflower-seeds/p/52156-PK-P1/

I've already bought and started too many things, but I am seriously looking at this Presto 6inch Coreopsis. https://parkseed.com/presto-gold-coreopsis-grandiflora-flower-seeds/p/00578-PK-P1/ 

Only one code per order, so skip the 10%off one as free shipping is better.

You can also shop by AAS winner, SeedSale, On sale Today... I get their sprouting seeds which is a good deal - you don't have to trudge outside on cold days to have some fresh greens. (just $1.95 for broccoli, mung or alfafa sprouts, decent size packs https://parkseed.com/broccoli-sprouting-seeds/p/05560-PK-P1/

Oh, fyi - In the 90s there were quite a few food safety issues with sprouts. I sterilize my jars and seed http://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8151.pdf Seed from reputable sellers should be pre-treated, I just go the extra mile. The UC pamphlet was written in the 90s. CO has a more recent one that will turn you off purchasing sprouts - ewww http://fsi.colostate.edu/sprouts/ .

Hey Shirley, so glad you like the seed! Yes, the card is homemade. Can you believe it! I discovered this stuff called washi tape! Just add markers and voila!

I’ve been sowing seeds this weekend. Three flats done, with more than 30 varieties of tomatoes sown. I’ve started waking up the over-wintered peppers, too. I will not be surprised if we do not have another frost this spring.

Placed an order with park seed. Thanks Maggie. They have some that are 10 for 10.00 but even though I didn't order 10, they were each still a dollar a pack. Ordered strawberry spinach which looked interesting. It wasn't that expensive either. Looking forward the the earlier spring they get in this part of Ohio. Margo.

Maggie -- I broke down and got those Green Twister Echinaceaes from Park. I had checked them out before, but didn't want to pay $5 for the seeds and then $5 for shipping. I'm too cheap to spend $10 for a pack of seeds. But the free shipping made a big difference. Thank you.

You're welcome ladies!! Margo - I have never seen that! Wow, you'll have to let us know how it does and if you like the taste. Erica - we'll want pics :-) You must've *really* wanted those as $5 is still steep for a small seed packet (20 seeds).

I let myself go ahead and place an order as well. I had the Patio Pride Pea Seeds https://all-americaselections.org/product/pea-patio-pride/ marked as to try. Still never gotten peas here as we go from cold & wet to too hot for peas virtually overnight. I'd tried again last year and lost that bunch in the early heat. These are supposed to be earlier and do well in pots. AAS - ALL American Selections awards - gave them a great write up. Got the 3 sprouting seeds and really dwarf coreopsis since I had the cart going. :-)

Katie - Yikes! I've started 18 and I think that was too many (~90 different items started between Jugs, Flats and such). Our Master Gardener group centers on tomatoes for the veggie sales and asked us to start more this year.

Morning, All!

Just checking in, it's a VERY cold day here, sunny, tho.

Have a great day, Everyone!

Shirley!

Just checking back. I'll have to go back and read all the fun posts. Busy, busy. I planted me tomato and pepper seeds inside. I have 3 little plants except for the end 6-cube where I threw in 50 store bought seeds that were more than a year old. They ALL came up! It looks so strange==like a guy with hair in one patch over his left ear and that's it!

I bought ghost peppers and saved some seeds. Don't know if they'll grow or not. They are drying. I won't bet the farm on it, but I can always try! (Not that I could eat them. I'd be the one in the corner crying.) Heidi

Snowing here! It's a good thing and rare lately, so doing a little happy dance.

Got my Valentine's goodies from kaylee today yayyyy I'm so excited perfect choices!!! Golden sunshine runner bean. Golden sweet snow pea, white tomesol tomato, Korean hyssop, white sage and I believe dill seeds. I've been wanting to try white sage and white tomesol really bad! And the rest are wonderful choices. Intrigued by the Korean hyssop and golden sunshine runner bean! Love tea and love the adorable card thank you thank you thank you!!

Oh btw kaylee you sent me a few golden sweet snow peas last year in a trade, I planted them and ate all the peas they were soooo good forgot to save seeds though so I needed some more thank you :D

Just catching up with everything. The month is almost at a close. It looks like we're just waiting on Katie to get her seeds, but I'm not concerned, since I know Shirley is her partner.

EricaBraun -- Received

sjc48 (Shirley) -- Received

amybabyboy3 (Amy) -- Received

smitties (Margo) -- Received

faerygardener (Maggie) -- Received

Melinda Hagen -- Received

jdmom78 (Urooj) -- Received

nottougly (Faye) -- Received

Kaylee -- Received

l1oness (Mandy) -- Received

kchd (Katie) -- Received

dragonfly20210 (Brooke) -- Received

Also, here is the game we currently have running. Today is the last day to post, if you haven't yet. Also, double check that I haven't missed adding your name below. If you've posted and I missed it, let me know. I will be drawing two winners tomorrow.

CURRENT GAME:

What were your favorite plants of 2017 and what made them so special?

Post between now and the 26th. I will post winners on the 27th. I was
hoping to get another game posted this month, but with hubby home on
vacation for a week, I simply ran out of time. That being said, there
will be two winners for this game!

Participants:

Maggie

Amy

Brooke

Melinda

Margo

Jeanne

Kaylee

Shoot, sure hope Katie gets her seeds, just a tad worried here.

Watching the Pistons lose - getting to be a habit!

Shirley!

Yay glad you like everything Brooke! I remember sending you those peas now, good thing you needed more! They're my favorite pea I've tried so far (obviously). And yes those are dill seeds, I realized I forgot to label them, they're harvested from 'Greensleeves' that grew next to 'Bouquet' last summer. Greensleeves has lots of ferny leaves and Bouquet has big flowers so hopefully you'll get a nice combo, I'll cross my fingers :D

My favorite flowers last year were the sunshine runner beans and Korean hyssop. I had hummingbirds hanging out in the yard all day! I can't tell you how many times one almost stuck me in the eye with their beak, they just fly right up to you. They're so magical to watch but very nerve wracking! I think they were drawn to the flowers on my dresses (I live in floral sundresses during the summer) but I started getting nervous to go outside. Of course my boyfriend thought the whole thing was hilarious, he said they were probably just out recruiting princesses. HA!

Kaylee, That is such a cute story. I can just see you in your pretty sundress being followed around by hummingbirds. And your boyfriend is so sweet thinking of his princess! Those big bumble bees love when I wear yellow or pink. They think I am a flower! Have a great day!

Kaylee -- That is absolutely adorable what your bf said about the hummingbirds. Sounds like he's a keeper!

It's finally time to announce our winners! Congratulations Amy and Maggie! Your seeds will be coming directly from Baker Creek, so please keep an eye out for Valentine themed seeds that you don't remember ordering. (BC doesn't allow you to add a note to your order, hence the warning).

Erica - Thank You!!

Congrats to Maggie and Amy!

Wow Erica! Thank you so much!

Well, if all goes like this - I'll have enough water this summer (yippee yahoo!!!!). Just have to keep my fingers crossed the power lasts through the storm, so if you don't see me for a few days, no worries! I'm halfway from Murphys downtown to Forest Meadows, above 2,600ft, so my snow should be reasonable. Our Bear Valley ski area might get 7ft just from this storm. Happy dance even if it means I freeze without power and miss my internet connections as phone and satellite often poop out. Batteries out, check, extra water filled in jugs and pitchers, check (no power = no well = no water), food run yesterday, 2 cases of bottled water, hummingbird feeders full to the brim (this will be really hard on them).

Maggie -- Stay safe. It sounds like you're in for a bit of a rough ride.

Thanks Erica - cold front not until tonight/tomorrow - so today is just rain. The main thing I'd been thinking about is all the started seed on heat mats. Damping off is more of an issue in the cold (if the power goes out). So. if it does, I've already decided I'll set up a shelf (big plastic light one from Costco) in the guest room and drag all the started seedlings in there - it would still be cold but not as bad as in the garage and has more light. That and the hummingbirds getting snowed under (their nests are in the trees and when you get those clumps of thick snow on the branches - it destroys them) are the two worries I can't solve. Anything else I'm ready for.

We are officially in March, so that wraps up our swap. Thanks to everyone who participated and shared your stories and pictures. I love it all.

Katie -- If you don't end up receiving, please let me know and I will send to you. I don't want you to be left out. If you haven't received by now, I have a feeling that Shirley's card got eaten by the PO bogeyman.

Wishing you all a fantastic March! And if you're in OBF, don't forget to sign up for my March swap. ;)

Shirley’s envelope arrived yesterday!! I got home late and had a chance to open it and admire her home made card and the lovely seeds, but didn’t have a chance to post yet. Can’t wait to start planting these, especially the nasturtium seeds. Those leaves and flowers are great in a salad!

Fantastic! That wraps us up then!

Thanks again to everyone who joined this month.

I'm really glad you got the seeds, Katie, wonder why it took so long to get to you.

Erica, Great Swap, and thank you for hosting, good job!

Shirley!

Erica - THANK YOU!!! I got my present from Baker Creek Seeds. I'd never seen this Love in a Mist Transformer (yellow) and it looks pretty interesting :-) - they also added a free packet of Cosmic Purple Carrot. Wonderful present and fun game - thanks!!!!!!!